Chapter 6 : Kanto Kickin’
The agents arrived safely and progressed along at a comfortable rate. They were ahead of schedule and did not encounter many wild Pokemon, which was good. The unfortunate pokemon they did run into were swiftly dealt with and sent limping away. Trainers were scarce on the paths they chose also, as they had intended. Even those who challenged them were easily and quickly discouraged, be it with a hasty “We’re in a huge hurry, give us your phone number and we'll call you.” Or a “Our pokemon are horribly diseased with a contagious condition which lowers their stats permanently!” Miguel was particularly fond of scaring people with the latter and frequently used it. By now camping outdoors was already losing its novelty, especially since, wherever they camped, pokemon seemed to just totally disrespect their need for sleep and not know when to be quiet. In the middle of the night a Ledyba would call here, a Pidgy there and especially annoying were the constant Houndour howls and the Noctowls hoots in the morning. So the foursome decided that since they were in Saffron City, it was a great place to find a hotel and a comfortable bed to sleep in for the night. The ‘Midnight Umbreon’ sounded like just the place. It was convenient and outrageously expensive, so it was perfect. As was the custom, the four asked for two rooms between them and Miguel and Valthor stayed in one while Galita and Erinn stayed in the other. This didn't bother Erinn since in Dragonagi, there was a strict code of conduct disallowing relations between fellow agents. Besides, herself and Galita were friends and she was used to staying in rooms with guys since it was a frequent deal in the compound at Dragonagi HQ. The Midnight Umbreon provided all the best foods and creature comforts. All four of the agents were enjoying a great night’s sleep after a huge meal when shouting could be heard in the hallway just outside their rooms. Valthor jerked awake and looked up to the hat stand to find his pack was no longer there! Galita made the exact same discovery in his own room at the same time! They all jumped out of bed and opened both doors to the hallway simultaneously. Outside, a trainer was being roughly tied up by a pokemon the size of a large man. It was a brutal Nidoking and it was using rope to tie up a distressed man. Behind the Nidoking, with his arms crossed and a triumphant look on his face stood the Great Gary Oak. He was practically royalty amongst trainers. The security chief of the Midnight Umbreon quickly arrived on the scene and thanked Gary for helping in the investigation and doing such a great job. “This guy has been stealing from the hotel for a few weeks now. We’ve been eager to get him and thanks to you we have. How can we thank you Gary?” The chief was a kind-hearted man. Gary smiled his reply. “No need for anything Chief Chase. I’m just glad these four trainers got their packs back. And maybe that guy will be able to lead you to the other packs he’s stolen in the past few weeks.” He turned to the four trainers, now wide-awake and capable of speech. Valthor spoke on his friends’ behalf. “The one and only Gary oak?! Pokemon master, elite four champion, ex-Gym Leader and pokemon legend! Wow. It’s a pleasure to meet you Gary. I’m Victor and this is Dave, Erinna and Mike. If theirs any way we can thank you, then we’ll be happy to help in any way we can. You’ve really helped us a lot.” It was a genuine offer because this guy really impressed Valthor. Gary would be a very cool challenge in battle. “Heh…nice names guys. I’ll just take your word for it that they’re real. No, no need to repay me. I think its time for me to hit the hay. I’m tired anyway. Pokemon are going crazy outside. You know how it is. Keep a closer eye on your stuff okay? Cya!” He didn’t believe their cover names? He was obviously a lot smarter than Valthor gave him credit for. It made him wonder… how much did he know about them. The problem with being in a secret organization as deep as Dragonagi, was that you only knew what you were meant to know. For all he knew… Gary could be an Agent! How cool would that be!? Meanwhile that same night, somewhere deep in the forests surrounding Saffron, Senga laid another trap in the darkness to further delay our heroes. He spoke harshly to the defiant Jaded. She wore all green reflective garb and even her nails were painted green. It was a symbol of her peaceful nature and kind heart. “You will do as we say or the Gym you have fought so hard to represent will be destroyed. You have seen my two friends there. They await my signal to leave. If I do not give this to them before midday, they will demolish your precious gym and everything inside.” Senga felt this was a little childish but it was effective. Ambre and Myth were easily up to the task of flattening that building. He and Swoon loved blackmailing innocent trainers. It was a favorite past time. So far he had been following the four losers all this way and somehow they had avoided battling more than even three trainers! It was just astonishing! They must be using some kind of Dragonagi mind trick to pursuade their challengers to pass them by without so much as a tackle. It was weird from his viewpoint. He could easily see them from a mile away but hearing them was difficult. Annoyingly enough, Code Gravity had not enhanced his hearing. The challengers they encountered would actually avoid the Dragonagi scum upon talking to the one called Miguel. What powers did they possess? What planet were they from? Curse them! He wasn’t lying to the Gym Leader, Jaded. She was aware of the low lives eagerness for senseless destruction. Ambre and Myth were waiting in the starlight for his signal to either depart or destroy. If neither were given by Midday then it was the latter. Jaded would co-operate. She had no choice and she knew it. Later that morning the four travelers cheerfully paid the Midnight Umbreon concierge and departed through the dense forests surrounding the City. The thick foliage and harsh elements combined with the unnatural darkness were perfect cover from other trainers. The path they were on was very small and they could only walk on it in single file. Valthor was in the lead followed by Galita, Erinn and Miguel bringing up the rear. The darkness was broken by Miguels Meganium using its flash TM. Suddenly Miguel bumped directly into Erinn for she had unexpectedly stopped. In actuality Valthor had halted, forcing the rest to bump into each other rather ungracefully. “Hey what’s going on up there?” Miguel asked curiously, trying to peek over everyone’s heads. “Shhh, Miguel. Theirs a trainer blocking our path. I think I’m going to have to talk to her. She doesn’t seem to be in a very mobile mood.” Valthor moved further ahead of the others and greeted the trainer who actually seemed distressed. “My name is Jaded. I am the Gym Leader from the city up ahead. I do not wish to battle you trainers. I wish you no harm at all, but I must battle you and that’s all there is to it. I challenge you!” She seemed to force the words out like they were poison. Valthor wasn’t convinced. “Errr, are you sure you want to battle me? We just wa…” Miguel interrupted comically from the background. “Our pokemon are contagious! We need to get to a pokemon cen…” “Enough!” Jaded had no more patience. She wanted this ridiculous fiasco over with. The sooner she battled these trainers the sooner she could return home to her beautiful Gym and relax in peace. She hurled her pokeball into the space between herself and the trainer before her. Valthor repeated the gesture and the battle was on. It wasn’t a long battle. In fact, he dispensed with Jaded in quick time and she almost seemed grateful… she was! “What are you doing here if you are a gym leader Jaded? It doesn’t make sense. And why are you so happy about losing this battle?” He asked about her weird reaction. “Now that this is over I might as well tell you. I was blackmailed to battle you. I think someone is trying to stall you. He told me to battle you or my Gym will be demolished. He seemed like he was capable of something like that so I agreed to do it. I’m sorry Stranger. I had no choice. I am glad you were able to finish it quickly.” “Its no big deal, Jaded. You seem like a really cool trainer. I wish more people were as nice as you.” “Thanks. I hope I never see those people again. I’m pretty certain they should be gone by now. They didn’t actually seem like they were in any mood to stay.” So, Sengas’ plan to stall the party of travelers had worked. But in the scheme of things it didn’t stall them all that long and they were well on their way out of Kanto. The agents were happy to march at double speed for a while to make up on time. It would be easy for each of them to use one of their flying type pokemon to fly to Gedyn, if indeed they all had flying types on them. Galita simply didn’t like heights so he didn’t equip a pokemon with a Fly TM and besides, the story would be a lot shorter if they did that. With the thick jungles of Houen already reaching for them and mingling with the Kanto forests fingers, the trainers stopped for a small meal and a rest. They released their pokemon to run around and stretch their legs and/or wings for a bit as well. There was a beautiful running stream nearby where most of the pokemon played and swam in very happy moods. “We are not alone Valthor. Espeon says theirs a trainer approaching from the other side of the stream. Says it’s a girl.” Miguel warned quite suddenly as he sat and basked in the tiny rays of sun that filtered through the canopy above. Miguel didn’t normally like the outdoors, but he had been stuck in Dragonagi HQ for too long and was relishing the sunlight. “Hrmm… well, she cant slow us down at the moment so let her come. She can share our food.” Valthor actually welcomed a new face. The trainer indeed approached and looked in very high spirits. She was very friendly. “Hi! I’m Carrie. I’m a little lost. My pokemon seemed to have lost their sense of direction. Weird since that’s never happened before. I’m exhausted and my Pokemon need a break. Do you mind if I let them out here too? It’s such a beautiful spot.” She certainly was a bubbly character. And if Dragonagi files on her were anything to go by she was as perfect a trainer as there was. Valthor remembered from his character studies that Carrie was now twenty-three years old, a perfectionist in everything she attempted and always strived for a complete balance in her Pokemon. She was extremely experienced and very difficult to beat. A dangerous battler, for sure. “Hiya Carrie. Sure you can stay for a while. Help yourself to some of our food and let your pokemon roam as much as they like.” She did so and the five trainers got along very well. Miguel even found her willing to battle him. Suffice to say he was far her superior on the battlefield and she was quickly defeated. Miguel admitted it was one of the hardest battles he’d fought for a long time. They helped her find her bearings and were on their way without a problem. ‘She was so cool’ thought Valthor.

CHAPTER 7 (COMING SOON)